The Shadow Home Secretary will tomorrow publish Labour’s plan for
tackling violence and supporting victims, ahead of the May
elections, saying that “under the Conservatives, violent criminals
have never had is so good.” Nick Thomas-Symonds will set out
proposals to “address the Tory rise in violent crime, put more
police on our streets and put victims at the heart of the criminal
justice system.” He will accuse the Conservatives of being “soft on
crime and soft...Request free trial
The Shadow Home Secretary will tomorrow publish Labour’s plan for
tackling violence and supporting victims, ahead of the May
elections, saying that “under the Conservatives, violent
criminals have never had is so good.”
Nick Thomas-Symonds will set out proposals to “address the Tory
rise in violent crime, put more police on our streets and put
victims at the heart of the criminal justice system.”
He will accuse the Conservatives of being “soft on crime and soft
on the causes of crime”, having cut the number of police on our
streets, devastated preventative services, let violent crime rise
and left victims waiting years for justice.
The plan for tackling violence and supporting victims outlined by
the Shadow Home Secretary includes:
- More police focusing on safer streets and tackling violence;
- Ensure police are on the beat rather than behind desks;
- Fight the causes of crime by ensuring provision of
preventative services;
- Tougher sentences for rape and domestic violence;
- A new law to ensure victims are at the heart of the criminal
justice system.
Labour have also produced a range of evidence showing the scale
of the Conservative’s failings on law and order in every part of
England and Wales, following over a decade of cuts to policing,
preventative services and support for victims. New analysis
produced by Labour shows that:
- In the last year, there were on average 4,900 violent crimes
a day (or 200 an hour);
- Violent crime has risen in every police forces in the country
since 2010, in 4 out of 5 forces violence has doubled or more.
- A third of all violent crime in 2019-20 was domestic
abuse-related.
Labour has also exposed a dramatic fall in the rate of police
charges, showing that more criminals are escaping punishment,
victims are missing out justice and communities less safe. The
new analysis shows:
- The total number of violent crimes recorded has more than
doubled, but the number of suspects charged has fallen by a
quarter and the number of cases where no suspect is identified at
all has nearly trebled.
- While charging rates for violent offences have plummeted from
22% in 2014-15 to just 6.8% in 2019-20.
Commenting, ,
said:
“On streets across the country, we are witnessing the devastating
impact of a decade of the Tories being soft on crime and soft on
the causes of crime. Under the Conservatives, violent criminals
have never had is so good.
“This election is a choice between the Labour Party who is
serious about tackling the Tory rise in violent crime or the
Conservatives who have slashed police numbers and let violent
crime rise in every part of the country. Communities are now
having to deal with 200 violent crimes an hour, while the number
of violent offences being charged have plummeted to less than 7
per cent.
“Labour Councils, PCCs and Mayors have made huge impacts by
standing up for their communities in the face of Tory cuts.
However, since their inception they have had one hand tied behind
their back, when battling this Conservative UK Government whose
cuts have resulted in huge crime rises on their watch.
“In these elections, Labour has a plan to tackle the Tory rise in
violent crime, put more police on our streets and put victims at
the heart of the criminal justice system.”
Notes to Editors
- Police have been recording rises in violence nationally since
2014 and has more than doubled in the last five years.
- In the year-ending September 2020, violence against the
person reached 1.79m offences - its highest level since
comparative records began in 2002-03 and equivalent to 4,900
violent crimes a day.
ONS, Crime in England and Wales YE Sep 20, Appendix Tables
A4, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables
- Despite a fall during the first lockdown, violent crime had
already exceeded levels of the previous year by the summer, up 9%
between July and September 2020 compared to the same period in
2019.
- In the last year, violence made up nearly a third (31%) of
all crime dealt with by the police, up from 16% when the Tories
took office and 12% in 2002-03.
ONS, Crime in England and Wales YE Sep 20, Appendix Tables
A4, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables
- Violent crime has increased in every police force in the
country since the Tories came to power. In four fifths of forces
(35 out of 43) violent crime has at least doubled.
|
Violent offences
|
2010-11
|
YE Sept 2020
|
Percentage change
|
Net change
|
|
Durham
|
6,748
|
26,203
|
288
|
19,455
|
|
Kent
|
20,073
|
76,636
|
282
|
56,563
|
|
West Yorkshire
|
29,509
|
107,461
|
264
|
77,952
|
|
Merseyside
|
15,239
|
50,780
|
233
|
35,541
|
|
South Yorkshire
|
15,242
|
48,626
|
219
|
33,384
|
|
Essex
|
20,995
|
66,119
|
215
|
45,124
|
|
Northumbria
|
15,056
|
46,222
|
207
|
31,166
|
|
Cheshire
|
12,906
|
39,593
|
207
|
26,687
|
|
Norfolk
|
9,186
|
27,075
|
195
|
17,889
|
|
Warwickshire
|
5,369
|
15,350
|
186
|
9,981
|
|
Cleveland
|
8,713
|
24,032
|
176
|
15,319
|
|
Dyfed-Powys
|
5,251
|
14,156
|
170
|
8,905
|
|
Northamptonshire
|
9,874
|
25,983
|
163
|
16,109
|
|
Lincolnshire
|
8,116
|
20,975
|
158
|
12,859
|
|
Lancashire
|
21,956
|
55,362
|
152
|
33,406
|
|
Hertfordshire
|
10,670
|
26,576
|
149
|
15,906
|
|
North Wales
|
10,660
|
26,392
|
148
|
15,732
|
|
West Midlands
|
41,499
|
102,368
|
147
|
60,869
|
|
Cumbria
|
6,298
|
15,359
|
144
|
9,061
|
|
Gwent
|
8,242
|
19,536
|
137
|
11,294
|
|
West Mercia
|
14,540
|
33,964
|
134
|
19,424
|
|
Humberside
|
14,720
|
34,188
|
132
|
19,468
|
|
Gloucestershire
|
6,276
|
14,568
|
132
|
8,292
|
|
Greater Manchester
|
40,034
|
88,870
|
122
|
48,836
|
|
Sussex
|
19,608
|
43,425
|
121
|
23,817
|
|
Dorset
|
9,001
|
19,656
|
118
|
10,655
|
|
Wiltshire
|
6,983
|
15,229
|
118
|
8,246
|
|
Suffolk
|
10,190
|
22,075
|
117
|
11,885
|
|
Derbyshire
|
15,010
|
32,183
|
114
|
17,173
|
|
Cambridgeshire
|
10,809
|
22,754
|
111
|
11,945
|
|
Leicestershire
|
15,468
|
32,481
|
110
|
17,013
|
|
Nottinghamshire
|
15,431
|
32,210
|
109
|
16,779
|
|
South Wales
|
18,274
|
37,492
|
105
|
19,218
|
|
North Yorkshire
|
8,156
|
16,559
|
103
|
8,403
|
|
Devon and Cornwall
|
20,424
|
40,889
|
100
|
20,465
|
|
Bedfordshire
|
8,819
|
17,369
|
97
|
8,550
|
|
Hampshire
|
32,023
|
59,695
|
86
|
27,672
|
|
Avon and Somerset
|
25,822
|
45,816
|
77
|
19,994
|
|
Surrey
|
14,044
|
24,894
|
77
|
10,850
|
|
Staffordshire
|
18,309
|
31,736
|
73
|
13,427
|
|
Thames Valley
|
35,906
|
59,417
|
65
|
23,511
|
|
Metropolitan Police
|
165,890
|
221,098
|
33
|
55,208
|
|
London, City of
|
706
|
832
|
18
|
126
|
- Knife crime reached its highest level on record in 2019-20 at
over 50,090 offences, having almost doubled since 2013-14 where
there were 25,588 offences.
- Between 2010-11 and 2019-20, knife crime rose in every police
force in the country.
- Charge rates for violent offences have plummeted from 22% in
2014-15 to just 6.8% in 2019-20.
Home Office, Crime Outcomes, outcome group and offence group
tables, various editions, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-statistics
- In the last six years, the total number of violent crimes
recorded has more than doubled, but the number of suspects
charged has fallen by a quarter and the number of cases where no
suspect is identified at all has nearly trebled.
|
Year
|
Violent crimes recorded
|
Charged/
Summonsed
|
Investigation complete - no suspect
identified
|
|
2019-20
|
1,680,884
|
132,377
|
236,799
|
|
2018-19
|
1,671,039
|
152,544
|
237,371
|
|
2017-18
|
1,395,688
|
148,891
|
203,985
|
|
2016-17
|
1,167,426
|
156,482
|
165,235
|
|
2015-16
|
992,366
|
177,817
|
138,527
|
|
2014-15
|
779,027
|
178,424
|
81,300
|
Home Office, Crime Outcomes, outcome group and offence group
tables, various editions, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-statistics
ONS, Domestic Abuse overview, Appendix table 11, 25 November
2020, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesoverview/november2020
- Just over one-third (35%) of the 1.7m violent offences
recorded by the police in in 2019-20 were domestic abuse-related.
|
